Dark Sky is an app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that predicts the weather. Using your precise location, it tells you when it will precipitate and for how long. For example: It might tell you that it will start raining in 8 minutes, with the rain lasting for 15 minutes followed by a 25 minute break.

When I first came across this Kickstarter project a couple of weeks ago, I dismissed it out of hand. The last thing I thought I needed was another weather app, but its singular promise has been percolating through my brain and I can't seem to shake it.

A couple of times in the last two weeks I've gone shooting around downtown San Jose, despite looming storms. These photo jaunts lasted about an hour, and it started raining during one of them. Just before both of these trips it struck me that the information Dark Sky provides--precise weather predictions for the immediate future--is exactly what I'd need before setting out on these (and similar) outings in the future.